On the 22nd, China rejected the World Health Organization’s plan to launch the second phase of the traceability of the new coronavirus, including the hypothesis that the virus may leak from the laboratory. At the same time, Tunisia also launched a judicial investigation into the chaos that appeared in the vaccination center on the first day of Eid al-Adha.
The Chinese side said on the 22nd that the WHO’s proposal to expand the scope of audits of Chinese laboratory activities under the investigation framework of the new crown virus traceability is a disrespect for common sense and an arrogant attitude towards science.
Under increasing pressure from the United States, the World Health Organization proposed this month to conduct a second phase of investigation on the traceability of the new crown virus, including an expanded audit of the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the seafood market. And US Assistant Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will visit China this weekend.
The plan proposed by WHO Director-General Tan Desai includes “auditing the activities of relevant laboratories and research institutions in the region (Wuhan) where the first human case of infection was found in December 2019.”
Zeng Yixin, deputy director of China’s National Health Commission, said at a press conference on the 22nd that he was “very shocked” by the proposal of “disrespect of common sense and arrogant attitude towards science”.
China strongly opposes the hypothesis that the virus comes from laboratory leaks.
China has always emphasized that laboratory leaks are an “extremely unlikely” situation. This is also the conclusion drawn by the WHO after a joint investigation with China in Wuhan in January this year.
Yuan Zhiming, director of the National Biosafety Laboratory of Wuhan Institute of Virology, said at a press conference on the 22nd that since the laboratory was established in 2018, “no pathogen leakage or infection has occurred.”
Tunisia investigates the “chaos” scenes at the vaccination center
The Presidential Palace of Tunisia announced on the 21st that it will launch a judicial investigation into the chaotic scenes that appeared at the new crown vaccination center on the first day of Eid al-Adha.
This is the content mentioned in the official statement reported by the Tunisian official news agency.
The Presidential Palace of Tunisia pointed out in a statement that Prime Minister Hisham Mehihi appointed Acting Minister of Justice Hasna bin Suleiman to request the prosecutor to investigate the chaos of the new crown virus vaccination center on the 20th. situation.
The statement criticized the vaccination center for failing to provide the necessary doses for age groups during the Eid al-Adha, and for failing to coordinate with the central and regional health and safety authorities.
Several vaccination centers in Tunisia experienced overcrowding and stampede on the 20th of people hoping to receive the new crown vaccine. The number of these people exceeded expectations, resulting in the closure of the vaccination centers and the suspension of the vaccination process.
The Ministry of Health of Tunisia planned to provide new crown vaccination for people over 18 years of age in the country on the 20th and 21st during the Eid al-Adha, but it was later suspended due to overcrowding.
The leaders of the Tunisian government announced on the 20th that the position of Minister of Health Fazi Mahdi was terminated and the Minister of Social Affairs Mohamed Trabelsi was appointed as the acting Minister of Health.
The background of the above incident is that people are worried that there will be an unprecedented wave of epidemics in Tunisia, which is characterized by the widespread spread of mutant virus alpha strains and delta strains in most regions, leading to a rapid increase in the proportion of infections and deaths.
The number of infections in Cuba has risen sharply
On the other hand, the “Pan American Health Organization” warned on the 21st that the infection rate of the new crown virus in many areas of Cuba is “rapidly rising”, and the highly contagious delta mutant strain is spreading in these areas.
Karissa Etienne, director of the Pan American Health Organization, said at a press conference that “Cuba’s new crown virus infection cases and deaths are on the rise, and the number of infections in many provinces of the country is rising sharply.”
The head of the World Health Organization’s regional agency added that the situation in the Matanzas tourist area is “extremely delicate.”
Ciro Ugarti, head of emergency at the Pan American Health Organization, said that since the virus appeared in the country in March 2020, Cuba, a country with a population of 11 million, registered a record number of infections this week.
He also added that Cuba registered “more than 43,000 infections this week, a total increase of 21% compared with the previous week, and an average of 6,199 new infections per day.” He also pointed out that the delta mutation The strain is “spreading rapidly in multiple provinces.”
Cuba has not joined the COVAX program that is supported by the World Health Organization and managed by the Pan American Health Organization in Latin America to distribute vaccines to poor countries, but it has independently developed a new coronavirus vaccine and launched it nationwide in mid-May this year. The vaccination campaign for two of the vaccines was launched. As of July 11, 30% of the country’s residents have benefited.
45,000 cases of “black fungus disease” registered in India
India announced on the 21st that more than 45,000 cases of “black fungus disease” (also known as “mucormycosis”) have been registered in the country in the past two months, which is a fungal infection of humans with a mortality rate of more than 50%. Especially it will spread among people infected with the new coronavirus.
India’s Deputy Minister of Health Bharati told the parliament that more than 4,200 people have died of this “mucormycosis”, which is a very rare disease, but it has spread among people cured of the new coronavirus in India.
This highly invasive fungal infection has a fatality rate of more than 50%, and doctors are often forced to remove some patients’ eyes, nose, and jawbone to prevent the infection from reaching their brains.
According to the Indian government, the state of Maharashtra in the western part of the country is most affected by the disease, with 9,348 cases of infection already registered.
This mucor, called “black fungus”, is a black fungus that can enter the human body through respiratory or skin infections.
People with diabetes or weakened immune systems, as well as those who have received organ transplants, are most likely to contract this disease.
Two athletes contracted the new crown virus
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Organizing Committee said on the 22nd that two athletes in the Olympic Village were diagnosed with the new crown virus.
Organizers announced 11 new cases, including two athletes, bringing the total number of infections to 86.
Hundreds of Ugandans received fake vaccines
The Ugandan authorities said on the 21st that about 800 people in the country had received one or more doses of the fake new crown vaccine, which is part of the “unethical” fraudulent actions by medical staff.
During the peak of the country’s epidemic from May to June this year, the number of newly registered infections in a single day reached 1,700. These fake vaccines have existed since then, sometimes even mixed with water.
Varan Namara, who is in charge of monitoring health services, explained that those involved in this fraudulent operation first targeted those who wished to pay for vaccinations. When the country was suffering from a shortage of vaccines, these vaccines were vaccinated nationwide. Exercise and distribute for free.
He told the Agence France-Presse reporter that “the criminals used fake vaccines to deceive the people for the purpose of making money.” He also pointed out that two of the health workers had been arrested, while the other doctor was still at large.
Varan also urged those who vaccinated not to worry, because tests showed that these vaccines did not contain any dangerous substances. “Some of them were only water.” He explained that the people involved charged 25 to 120 US dollars for each dose of vaccine. cost.
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